FEUDALISM 
65 
The Church attempted to stem the constant fighting. 
At the end of the tenth century the clergy of the south 
of France tried to enforce the Peace of God, a total THE 
prohibition of fighting among Christians. DA 
Their efforts were unavailing, and in the second 
quarter of the eleventh century the Church fell back on 
a compromise and proposed the “ Truce of God,” which THE 
forbade all fighting on. holy days and fast days, and 7% 
from Wednesday evening to Monday morning in every 
week. Thus only about eighty days in the year 
remained in which private war was allowed. But the 
efforts of the Church in this direction were unavailing. 
In another direction the efforts of the Church were 
more successful, and: that was in the development of 
the ideals of chivalry or knighthood, by which the CurvALry 
brutal feudal warrior was to a certain extent civilised, 
The knight was a Christian warrior whose duty was 
to defend the Church, to fulfil faithfully his feudal 
obligations, to defend all who were weak and in distress, 
especially all ladies, to be courteous alike to friend and 
foe, and to keep his honour inviolate. 
The son of a feudal noble first served as a page in 
the castle of some lord or prince: then he became a 
squire, and at last, when he became of age, if he had 
proved himself worthy, he was admitted to knighthood, 
His arms were blessed and placed upon the altar, and 
the young warrior knelt in the church and watched 
them during the hours of the night. In the morning 
he attended mass and took an oath to perform faith- 
fully the duties of knighthood. He was arrayed.in his 
armour, the sword was girt upon him, the golden spurs 
were fastened on, and he received the accolade, or blow 
which dubbed him knight. In time of war, however,